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Geekz Snow 2019-08-09
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Welcome to CHEAP, our series about things that are good, but most of all, cheap.

It’s that time of the year: everyone is regurgitating the old headphone jack debate after Samsung ditched the port with its new Galaxy Note 10 series.

You can once and for all quit whining about the inevitability of this trend with a sweet deal on Anker‘s Soundcore Liberty Neo wireless earbuds.

Amazon currently has a 33-percent discount on the Liberty Neos, which means you can cop a pair for just $40 bucks (down from the original list price of $60).

So next time the thought of grumbling about a missing headphone jack crosses your mind, remember that you have options.

Sure, incorporating a headphone jack is more user-friendly.

collect
0
Geekz Snow 2019-08-08

Samsung just took the wraps off its latest flagship, the Galaxy Note10 and the Galaxy Note 10 Plus.

While the Indian launch is still a few weeks away, the phones can already be pre-booked in India to avail additional offers.

For the first time ever, the Note will be available in two sizes: the Samsung Galaxy Note10 with a 6.3-inch display and the bigger Samsung Galaxy Note10+ with a 6.8-inch display.

In India, the 8GB + 256GB Note10 is priced at INR 69,999 while the 12GB + 256GB Note10+ is priced at INR 79,999.

The top of the line variant with 512GB of storage is priced at INR 89,999.

Customers who pre-order the Note10 between August 8 and August 22 will be eligible for additional offers.

collect
0
Geekz Snow 2019-08-10
img

The Galaxy Note 10 doesn't have a hardware button for Bixby, Samsung's AI smart assistant.

Bixby debuted on the Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus in 2017 and was an attempt to answer Apple's Siri on the iPhone, the Google Assistant on pretty much any Android phone and Amazon's Alexa.

Fine, but the biggest issue with Bixby has to do with the placement of a dedicated hardware button that triggered the assistant.

Frequently when grabbing a Galaxy phone, it was easy to accidentally press the Bixby key and activate the assistant when you didn't want to.

Samsung also did away with the headphone jack on the new Note and there will no doubt be people mourning its loss.

However, news that the Note 10 will lack the Bixby Key might actually spur figurative celebrations and parties.

collect
0
Geekz Snow 2019-08-09
img

The Note 10 Plus, for example, is the company's first "plus" version of its Galaxy Note phone, and the Note 10 5G is Samsung's second 5G phone, after the Galaxy S10 5G.

In addition to the bigger size and next-gen network capabilities, the Note 10s come in an array of new colors and are equipped with updated camera and video editing tools, like AR Doodle.

But there are several other things we didn't get from the Note 10, too -- either specs that were dropped from the previous model or features we anticipated because of the active rumor mill that swirled around the phone before it launched.

The familiar audio port began disappearing in 2016 when Lenovo/Motorola and Apple lopped it off their phones.

But for others adamant about holding onto their wired headphones, there are still some phones available to accommodate that, including Samsung's own Galaxy S10 line.

Note 10 bids farewell to microSD

collect
0
Geekz Snow 2019-08-08
img

Unlike the Galaxy S10 launch more than half a year ago, Samsung’s Unpacked 2019 almost felt muted and surrounded with mixed reactions.

It may have been Samsung’s most controversial Galaxy Note announcement in quite a while.

Some love the new features but others deplore what Samsung removed in turn.

Naturally, that raises questions among buyers whether they should go for the Galaxy Note 10 or the Galaxy Note 10+ or if they should opt for something else to spend their hard-earned money on.

Granted, the Snapdragon 855 might be a bit of a disappointment since the 855+ has already been announced but it will still be on par with almost all 2019 premium phones.

The Galaxy Note pushes the cameras to three, four on the Galaxy Note 10+ because of the “DepthVision” 3D time-of-flight sensor.

collect
0
Geekz Snow 2019-08-08

The Samsung Galaxy Note 10 and Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Plus have just been announced, and while these phones impress in many ways, one thing they’re lacking is compatibility with Samsung’s Gear VR headset.

Samsung confirmed this to tech analyst Anshel Sag and to Engadget, with a spokesperson saying: "The Gear VR is not compatible with Galaxy Note 10 and Note 10+.

We remain committed to innovating in VR and AR to deliver incredible new experiences to our consumers."

So if you have a Gear VR or were planning to get one, these aren’t the phones for you.

At least not right now – there’s no guarantee that a new Gear VR model won’t be released with support for the Note 10 range, but it doesn’t sound especially likely.

That said, with the company claiming to remain committed to innovating in the VR space, we may well see some new VR products from it at some point, be they headsets that connect to a phone, standalone ones, or something else entirely.

collect
0
Geekz Snow 2019-08-08
img

The Daily Crunch is TechCrunch’s roundup of our biggest and most important stories.

If you’d like to get this delivered to your inbox every day at around 9am Pacific, you can subscribe here.

This is Samsung’s Galaxy Note 10 and 10+

The landscape has changed dramatically since the Galaxy Note was first unveiled in 2011, with Samsung pulling the rest of the industry into a world of bigger screens.

Now, the question is how to make the latest updates compelling.

With the Note 10 and 10+ (available August 23 at a starting price of $950), Samsung is splitting the line into two distinct devices, and it’s getting rid of the headphone jack.

collect
0
Geekz Snow 2019-08-10
img

Hackers and security researchers at the Black Hat and Defcon conferences in Las Vegas this week tackled everything from election security to misinformation campaigns to Android malware that comes preinstalled on your devices.

Meanwhile, Samsung grabbed the spotlight by unveiling its Galaxy Note 10 and Note 10 Plus phones alongside a superthin Galaxy Book S laptop.

It was also a big week for weird science news, like tardigrades on the moon, the discovery of a prehistoric dog-size parrot and Jupiter getting slammed by something massive.

He spent thousands on a data-collecting monstrosity to figure out why people considered the security conference's network dangerous.

Mehdi Yahyanejad uses an innovative technology to get past internet censorship in Iran and bring information to poor and isolated communities in Mexico.

AT may be vindicated in withholding its 5G service from consumers so far.

collect
0
Geekz Snow 2019-08-09
img

Apart from their size, the Galaxy Note 10 and Galaxy Note 10 Plus look nearly identical.

The smaller Note 10 is Samsung's first attempt to make its Note phones appeal to smartphone users who prefer smaller phones.

Samsung's Galaxy Note phones are typically known for their giant screens, but the company's done something different with the new Galaxy Note 10.

Check out the differences between the Galaxy Note 10 and the Galaxy Note 10 Plus:

It indicates an expandable section or menu, or sometimes previous / next navigation options.

Here are the dimensions and weight of the Galaxy Note 10 and Galaxy Note 10 Plus:

collect
0
Geekz Snow 2019-08-08
img

Yesterday, Samsung made the Samsung Galaxy Note 10 and Note 10 Plus official.

The release of the two new flagships is bittersweet for many Note fans, though, because neither device comes with a headphone jack.

It appears Samsung wants to gloss over this fact by not only declining to mention it at all during yesterday’s launch event but by also attempting to hide its past advertisements.

The company’s decision to remove the much-beloved smartphone port isn’t too surprising considering multiple other OEMs — including Huawei, OnePlus, Google, and obviously Apple — have already done so.

However, Samsung was the longest holdout and also the most vocal critic of those other OEMs and their choice to ditch the port, especially when it comes to Apple.

Over the past few years, there have been multiple high-profile Samsung ads that heavily criticized Apple’s iPhone design limitations, specifically towards the removal of the headphone jack and the notched display on the iPhone X and XS.

collect
0
Geekz Snow 2019-08-08
img

The Samsung Galaxy Note 10 is finally available, alongside Samsung’s latest 5G phone, the Galaxy Note 10+ 5G.

At launch, the Galaxy Note 10+ 5G will only be available on Verizon, but eventually, it’ll make its way to other carriers too.

And, when that happens, the T-Mobile variant will be the first phone to leverage T-Mobile’s powerful 600MHz spectrum, according to a new tweet from T-Mobile chief technology officer Neville Ray.

5G is often associated with millimeter-wave frequencies, which are the ultra-high frequencies that can transmit a lot of data at shorter distances.

But carriers are also building out other frequencies with 5G too, such as the low-band frequencies that can travel further distances, and the mid-band frequencies that offer a compromise between the two.

T-Mobile’s 600MHz frequency band is one of those low-band frequencies that’s able to travel much longer distances than mmWave frequencies.

collect
0
Geekz Snow 2019-08-08
img

By splitting the lineup into two sizes, Samsung was able to make one of its boldest choices since it introduced the original Note in 2011: it actually made the newest Note‘s screen a bit smaller.

My very first impression was “I want the smaller model.” The 6.3-inch panel may make it seem the phone isn’t much smaller than last year’s 6.4-inch Note 9, but in practice, the sliver-thin bezels mean the Note 10 is refreshingly small.

The only notable difference is that the camera module is shaped like a capsule rather than a squircle, which looks generically similar to the rear setup you’ll see on Huawei phones and iPhones.

But the Note is far from the only phone with beastly specs nowadays – in fact, they’re not necessarily better than something like the far cheaper OnePlus 7 Pro.

And in any case, smartphone specs offer diminishing returns by the year.

It’s a good thing then that Samsung has one thing no-one else has: The S Pen.

collect
0
Geekz Snow 2019-08-08
img

Samsung was one of the earliest adopters of virtual reality technology, launching its Gear VR headset back in 2015.

The headset allows you to slot a Samsung flagship into it, with the phone providing the screen and horsepower.

Unfortunately, Samsung confirmed to The Verge that the brand-new Galaxy Note 10 series doesn’t support the Gear VR.

It’s unclear whether the manufacturer will eventually provide an adapter to ensure that the two devices are compatible with each other.

Samsung’s Galaxy S10 series was indeed compatible with the VR headset, with the peripheral including the required adapter in the box.

But we haven’t seen a new headset since 2017’s model.

collect
0
Geekz Snow 2019-08-08
img

No headphone jack, a 5G model and a whole lotta dollars

Samsung surprised nobody by unveiling a pair of eye-wateringly expensive smartphones – the Galaxy Note 10 and Note 10+ – while talking up best buddy Microsoft at an event last night in New York City.

To be fair, the previous Galaxy Note9 was a decent, if pricey, bit of kit and the hulking Note 10 has continued that trend both in terms of tech and the cash Samsung expects you to cough up for the thing.

There is no headphone jack – it's USB-C or Bluetooth from now on.

And Samsung will expect you to part with £869 for the Note 10 or £999 for the Note 10+.

Another £100 on the price of the Note 10+ will get you the 5G that manufacturers are desperately hoping will kick-start the moribund smartphone market.

collect
0
Geekz Snow 2019-08-07

The latest to be introduced is Samsung’s impressively sized and equipped Galaxy Note 10 Plus.

The Note 10 Plus, with its 6.8-inch display, may boast the largest screen currently available in the US market.

(It is outmatched by at least one non-US phone, the Huawei Honor Note 10, with a 6.95-inch display.)

Although the Note 10 Plus measures 6.39 x 3.04 x 0.31 inches, Samsung’s own Galaxy S10 5G (which has a 6.7-inch display) beats it by a hair at 6.40 x 3.04 x 0.31 inches.

And although the Pixel 3 XL isn’t all that much smaller at 6.22 x 3.02 x 0.31 inches, its display is a relatively modest 6.3 inches.

Other alternatives in the “bigger is better” sweepstakes include Samsung’s Galaxy S10 Plus (6.4-inch display), the OnePlus 7 Pro (6.7-inch display), and Apple’s iPhone XS Max (6.5-inch display).

collect
0
Geekz Snow 2019-08-10

Samsung has made a mistake in the promotional campaign for its brand new Galaxy Note 10.

The Korean giant has in fact exaggerated in a detail about its new phones.

In fact, during a promotional video – now removed and then republished in the correct version – you can find it at the end of the article – Samsung initially boasted that the frame of the Galaxy Note 10 was made of stainless steel, based on what Apple has been doing since iPhone X.

We do not know if it was a misunderstanding of communication between the various offices within Samsung, or if the initial design of the Galaxy Note 10 really provided for the use of steel for the frame.

Samsung Galaxy Note10 and Galaxy Note10+ specifications

Note10 – 6.3-inch FHD+ (2280×1080 pixels) Curved Dynamic AMOLED Infinity-O display with 401ppi, HDR10+, Corning Gorilla Glass 6 protection.

collect
0
Geekz Snow 2019-08-09
img

Welcome to CHEAP, our series about things that are good, but most of all, cheap.

It’s that time of the year: everyone is regurgitating the old headphone jack debate after Samsung ditched the port with its new Galaxy Note 10 series.

You can once and for all quit whining about the inevitability of this trend with a sweet deal on Anker‘s Soundcore Liberty Neo wireless earbuds.

Amazon currently has a 33-percent discount on the Liberty Neos, which means you can cop a pair for just $40 bucks (down from the original list price of $60).

So next time the thought of grumbling about a missing headphone jack crosses your mind, remember that you have options.

Sure, incorporating a headphone jack is more user-friendly.

Geekz Snow 2019-08-10
img

The Galaxy Note 10 doesn't have a hardware button for Bixby, Samsung's AI smart assistant.

Bixby debuted on the Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus in 2017 and was an attempt to answer Apple's Siri on the iPhone, the Google Assistant on pretty much any Android phone and Amazon's Alexa.

Fine, but the biggest issue with Bixby has to do with the placement of a dedicated hardware button that triggered the assistant.

Frequently when grabbing a Galaxy phone, it was easy to accidentally press the Bixby key and activate the assistant when you didn't want to.

Samsung also did away with the headphone jack on the new Note and there will no doubt be people mourning its loss.

However, news that the Note 10 will lack the Bixby Key might actually spur figurative celebrations and parties.

Geekz Snow 2019-08-08
img

Unlike the Galaxy S10 launch more than half a year ago, Samsung’s Unpacked 2019 almost felt muted and surrounded with mixed reactions.

It may have been Samsung’s most controversial Galaxy Note announcement in quite a while.

Some love the new features but others deplore what Samsung removed in turn.

Naturally, that raises questions among buyers whether they should go for the Galaxy Note 10 or the Galaxy Note 10+ or if they should opt for something else to spend their hard-earned money on.

Granted, the Snapdragon 855 might be a bit of a disappointment since the 855+ has already been announced but it will still be on par with almost all 2019 premium phones.

The Galaxy Note pushes the cameras to three, four on the Galaxy Note 10+ because of the “DepthVision” 3D time-of-flight sensor.

Geekz Snow 2019-08-08
img

The Daily Crunch is TechCrunch’s roundup of our biggest and most important stories.

If you’d like to get this delivered to your inbox every day at around 9am Pacific, you can subscribe here.

This is Samsung’s Galaxy Note 10 and 10+

The landscape has changed dramatically since the Galaxy Note was first unveiled in 2011, with Samsung pulling the rest of the industry into a world of bigger screens.

Now, the question is how to make the latest updates compelling.

With the Note 10 and 10+ (available August 23 at a starting price of $950), Samsung is splitting the line into two distinct devices, and it’s getting rid of the headphone jack.

Geekz Snow 2019-08-09
img

Apart from their size, the Galaxy Note 10 and Galaxy Note 10 Plus look nearly identical.

The smaller Note 10 is Samsung's first attempt to make its Note phones appeal to smartphone users who prefer smaller phones.

Samsung's Galaxy Note phones are typically known for their giant screens, but the company's done something different with the new Galaxy Note 10.

Check out the differences between the Galaxy Note 10 and the Galaxy Note 10 Plus:

It indicates an expandable section or menu, or sometimes previous / next navigation options.

Here are the dimensions and weight of the Galaxy Note 10 and Galaxy Note 10 Plus:

Geekz Snow 2019-08-08
img

The Samsung Galaxy Note 10 is finally available, alongside Samsung’s latest 5G phone, the Galaxy Note 10+ 5G.

At launch, the Galaxy Note 10+ 5G will only be available on Verizon, but eventually, it’ll make its way to other carriers too.

And, when that happens, the T-Mobile variant will be the first phone to leverage T-Mobile’s powerful 600MHz spectrum, according to a new tweet from T-Mobile chief technology officer Neville Ray.

5G is often associated with millimeter-wave frequencies, which are the ultra-high frequencies that can transmit a lot of data at shorter distances.

But carriers are also building out other frequencies with 5G too, such as the low-band frequencies that can travel further distances, and the mid-band frequencies that offer a compromise between the two.

T-Mobile’s 600MHz frequency band is one of those low-band frequencies that’s able to travel much longer distances than mmWave frequencies.

Geekz Snow 2019-08-08
img

Samsung was one of the earliest adopters of virtual reality technology, launching its Gear VR headset back in 2015.

The headset allows you to slot a Samsung flagship into it, with the phone providing the screen and horsepower.

Unfortunately, Samsung confirmed to The Verge that the brand-new Galaxy Note 10 series doesn’t support the Gear VR.

It’s unclear whether the manufacturer will eventually provide an adapter to ensure that the two devices are compatible with each other.

Samsung’s Galaxy S10 series was indeed compatible with the VR headset, with the peripheral including the required adapter in the box.

But we haven’t seen a new headset since 2017’s model.

Geekz Snow 2019-08-07

The latest to be introduced is Samsung’s impressively sized and equipped Galaxy Note 10 Plus.

The Note 10 Plus, with its 6.8-inch display, may boast the largest screen currently available in the US market.

(It is outmatched by at least one non-US phone, the Huawei Honor Note 10, with a 6.95-inch display.)

Although the Note 10 Plus measures 6.39 x 3.04 x 0.31 inches, Samsung’s own Galaxy S10 5G (which has a 6.7-inch display) beats it by a hair at 6.40 x 3.04 x 0.31 inches.

And although the Pixel 3 XL isn’t all that much smaller at 6.22 x 3.02 x 0.31 inches, its display is a relatively modest 6.3 inches.

Other alternatives in the “bigger is better” sweepstakes include Samsung’s Galaxy S10 Plus (6.4-inch display), the OnePlus 7 Pro (6.7-inch display), and Apple’s iPhone XS Max (6.5-inch display).

Geekz Snow 2019-08-08

Samsung just took the wraps off its latest flagship, the Galaxy Note10 and the Galaxy Note 10 Plus.

While the Indian launch is still a few weeks away, the phones can already be pre-booked in India to avail additional offers.

For the first time ever, the Note will be available in two sizes: the Samsung Galaxy Note10 with a 6.3-inch display and the bigger Samsung Galaxy Note10+ with a 6.8-inch display.

In India, the 8GB + 256GB Note10 is priced at INR 69,999 while the 12GB + 256GB Note10+ is priced at INR 79,999.

The top of the line variant with 512GB of storage is priced at INR 89,999.

Customers who pre-order the Note10 between August 8 and August 22 will be eligible for additional offers.

Geekz Snow 2019-08-09
img

The Note 10 Plus, for example, is the company's first "plus" version of its Galaxy Note phone, and the Note 10 5G is Samsung's second 5G phone, after the Galaxy S10 5G.

In addition to the bigger size and next-gen network capabilities, the Note 10s come in an array of new colors and are equipped with updated camera and video editing tools, like AR Doodle.

But there are several other things we didn't get from the Note 10, too -- either specs that were dropped from the previous model or features we anticipated because of the active rumor mill that swirled around the phone before it launched.

The familiar audio port began disappearing in 2016 when Lenovo/Motorola and Apple lopped it off their phones.

But for others adamant about holding onto their wired headphones, there are still some phones available to accommodate that, including Samsung's own Galaxy S10 line.

Note 10 bids farewell to microSD

Geekz Snow 2019-08-08

The Samsung Galaxy Note 10 and Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Plus have just been announced, and while these phones impress in many ways, one thing they’re lacking is compatibility with Samsung’s Gear VR headset.

Samsung confirmed this to tech analyst Anshel Sag and to Engadget, with a spokesperson saying: "The Gear VR is not compatible with Galaxy Note 10 and Note 10+.

We remain committed to innovating in VR and AR to deliver incredible new experiences to our consumers."

So if you have a Gear VR or were planning to get one, these aren’t the phones for you.

At least not right now – there’s no guarantee that a new Gear VR model won’t be released with support for the Note 10 range, but it doesn’t sound especially likely.

That said, with the company claiming to remain committed to innovating in the VR space, we may well see some new VR products from it at some point, be they headsets that connect to a phone, standalone ones, or something else entirely.

Geekz Snow 2019-08-10
img

Hackers and security researchers at the Black Hat and Defcon conferences in Las Vegas this week tackled everything from election security to misinformation campaigns to Android malware that comes preinstalled on your devices.

Meanwhile, Samsung grabbed the spotlight by unveiling its Galaxy Note 10 and Note 10 Plus phones alongside a superthin Galaxy Book S laptop.

It was also a big week for weird science news, like tardigrades on the moon, the discovery of a prehistoric dog-size parrot and Jupiter getting slammed by something massive.

He spent thousands on a data-collecting monstrosity to figure out why people considered the security conference's network dangerous.

Mehdi Yahyanejad uses an innovative technology to get past internet censorship in Iran and bring information to poor and isolated communities in Mexico.

AT may be vindicated in withholding its 5G service from consumers so far.

Geekz Snow 2019-08-08
img

Yesterday, Samsung made the Samsung Galaxy Note 10 and Note 10 Plus official.

The release of the two new flagships is bittersweet for many Note fans, though, because neither device comes with a headphone jack.

It appears Samsung wants to gloss over this fact by not only declining to mention it at all during yesterday’s launch event but by also attempting to hide its past advertisements.

The company’s decision to remove the much-beloved smartphone port isn’t too surprising considering multiple other OEMs — including Huawei, OnePlus, Google, and obviously Apple — have already done so.

However, Samsung was the longest holdout and also the most vocal critic of those other OEMs and their choice to ditch the port, especially when it comes to Apple.

Over the past few years, there have been multiple high-profile Samsung ads that heavily criticized Apple’s iPhone design limitations, specifically towards the removal of the headphone jack and the notched display on the iPhone X and XS.

Geekz Snow 2019-08-08
img

By splitting the lineup into two sizes, Samsung was able to make one of its boldest choices since it introduced the original Note in 2011: it actually made the newest Note‘s screen a bit smaller.

My very first impression was “I want the smaller model.” The 6.3-inch panel may make it seem the phone isn’t much smaller than last year’s 6.4-inch Note 9, but in practice, the sliver-thin bezels mean the Note 10 is refreshingly small.

The only notable difference is that the camera module is shaped like a capsule rather than a squircle, which looks generically similar to the rear setup you’ll see on Huawei phones and iPhones.

But the Note is far from the only phone with beastly specs nowadays – in fact, they’re not necessarily better than something like the far cheaper OnePlus 7 Pro.

And in any case, smartphone specs offer diminishing returns by the year.

It’s a good thing then that Samsung has one thing no-one else has: The S Pen.

Geekz Snow 2019-08-08
img

No headphone jack, a 5G model and a whole lotta dollars

Samsung surprised nobody by unveiling a pair of eye-wateringly expensive smartphones – the Galaxy Note 10 and Note 10+ – while talking up best buddy Microsoft at an event last night in New York City.

To be fair, the previous Galaxy Note9 was a decent, if pricey, bit of kit and the hulking Note 10 has continued that trend both in terms of tech and the cash Samsung expects you to cough up for the thing.

There is no headphone jack – it's USB-C or Bluetooth from now on.

And Samsung will expect you to part with £869 for the Note 10 or £999 for the Note 10+.

Another £100 on the price of the Note 10+ will get you the 5G that manufacturers are desperately hoping will kick-start the moribund smartphone market.

Geekz Snow 2019-08-10

Samsung has made a mistake in the promotional campaign for its brand new Galaxy Note 10.

The Korean giant has in fact exaggerated in a detail about its new phones.

In fact, during a promotional video – now removed and then republished in the correct version – you can find it at the end of the article – Samsung initially boasted that the frame of the Galaxy Note 10 was made of stainless steel, based on what Apple has been doing since iPhone X.

We do not know if it was a misunderstanding of communication between the various offices within Samsung, or if the initial design of the Galaxy Note 10 really provided for the use of steel for the frame.

Samsung Galaxy Note10 and Galaxy Note10+ specifications

Note10 – 6.3-inch FHD+ (2280×1080 pixels) Curved Dynamic AMOLED Infinity-O display with 401ppi, HDR10+, Corning Gorilla Glass 6 protection.

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